New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-26
THE SCOTIA HARD AGROUND.
BEACHED ON FIRE ISLAND EARLY YEsTER-
DAY MORNING.


sAFELY-THE REST. OVER EIGHT HUNDRED,
SPEND THE NIGHT ON B',ARD-sPLnNDID
WORK OF THE LIFR-sAvISG CREW
THE CARGO NOT BADLY
The last attempt Of q captain to make short
cut Tor NewYork Long kland has met with the
usual success. The Scotia, steamer of tho Fabre
Line. from Naples MarseiIles and Gibraltar tried it
yesterday morning about a. u., and last night she
was still stuck fast the south shore OF Fire Island
about fI:een miles east OF Fire Island Light.
Eight hundred an eighty y-saven passengers, chiefly
Italian laborrrs. were aboard with of fifty two
men Fortunately enough, trough the
Mug high, the vessel held firm and 10 people were
landed iu two Alter that the sea icll grad
uay, and as the ship was beached hard and last 1t
was found unnecessary 10 land any Others The pas
sengers still aboard aud the officers and crew Will be
brought uo to NewYork in one uf the Fabre Cum
panys b'rges this morning. Not n single lite as
lost The only ca ualty reported was one broken leg
The Scotia was already several days overdue. She
mad light cargo OF wines aud fruits from the Medter
ranean, TOO light one, the officers said ior good sail
ihg,, ..ao m v.st.,dov., ~. rurnirr "a Eiro
Island Beach with "a south breeze and in light fog
The sea Wa, running high and there was strong set
in near the beach. the Scotia had pilot and came
in close without apparently recognizing the danger.
Suriman Payne OF the Blu Point Lie saving Station
who patrolling the beach, the Scotia through
the morning tog and about to send up an ofshore
signal, when the vessel suddenly struck
fier two Inasts went By the board at once and she
stuck there "ow high out OF the Water her nose
fast and her et"rn drifting ah0l TO the southwest.
Her rudder lost in tie shock. The and pas
sengers svarned TO the deck and their crlcs and
prayrIs could be hea across the water in the Blue
Point Station some forts or iity rods away Suriman
Paynr Iouscd he Lie Saving crew, and Cal tain
leOrgc Jones and his men set TO work TO rescue the
steamers people. The mortar tor firing the lite line
was quickly brought and at the second shot the
line flew ont the 80 yards AMI across the Scoia's
d elk. lhe captain of the Scotia could not catch the
signals from them aud did not take an measures
toWarJ ling e Lie caDle 10 the brooches
buoy aboard. He had n BIZ hawscr fastened 10 his
end of the line and waited for tho Lic Saving men to
pull II IN.
A good deal of time wasted in trying to get him
TO under stand. Finally Captain Jones manned the
liieboat and wcnt oat to the vessel The crews iron
the neghborug stations, Beport and Bayport soon
arrived. They toOG charge OF the apparatus at The
shore end, while Captain Jones set to work arranging
it Tor use BOARD e stelm;r. Meanw nile the lite
boat had made two trips. taking Oh twenty women.
At 7:30 "A. the bfeechcs buoy was working and be-
tween it and the liicboat no people we're got oil.
Sixty came the brccches buoy one by one One
man started or New York Great South Bay and
up TO the Long lslaId nailroad.
lhc officers all except the ships doctor
saved aboard. The 10 men and women
we're quartercd for the day ami night and about
the Blue Point Station. Before dispatch from
the Fabre C0mpanys Office announced that the Mcr-
ritt Wrccking Company had started three tugs TO the
beach vessel and ordered that no more passengers
should be taken OIL The Scotia was grounded easily
and the had smoothed down. There was no ip-
parent danger of her break nE uD durlng the alter
noon nj n. Ihe ships doctor reportcd at the Blue
Point Station that there were fifteen sick board
tho Scotia. 40 cases were dangerous, 'owever, ana
he M not feel 4 necessary to go back again.
Coptaln Martin itu1at was the oticer III charge OF
the Scotia. There we're only TWO cabin passengers
ant ara. All OF the Iaiiaus will be hrough; to New
York to-day tugs or barge. The g,c'ter part OF
the cargo sale and the underwater who went down
look at The ship SAID that he thought she could DC
pulled safely OIL.
aptain Jone. said last nigh: that he could have
taken AL the and passen gers ashore If IT had
been necessary. only The STUPIDITY oi the Italian
Captain prevented his getting the brecches ouoy IN
working condition earlier. a.. sad lie had been
awakened y the ere, AMI s'rieks aboard the Scotia
lust a. she struck. Tie morning was cloudy and the
sea nigh hut ihere wa tile or no Og lie sad that
tie Was really little CONFUSION aboard after ho lines
wco ikea AZ. rig!t lie ihodghi ihht tne vessel had
run on too IA Ia {, bc drawn oh -uccessiGlly.
Coast Inspector Ellison Bishop ~a' also at the
Dlue Point station. lie had been lookn, after the
dntilbc articles o the ScotIas cargo. lie sad that
little or none OF u was daTagcd ~ tar
The Italians dllcd the little station up completely
a night trying TO 90 81 me cooking on the dhlnntlVe
station stove. elrcpIug prom 80 lOusly IN their
dirty clothes tue bare toor. Almost none cond
talk Eu .lish ne doctor, who acted as interpreter
said that tne Scotia had hal good yoi age hOhSh
slow one The captain had explained that he was
little of his be rings. The lead apparently had moi
been used freely enough.
MANY Of the res ned people in high spirits over
tht.r escape. ne man who came ashore on the
h. buoy early danced italian ig ~ soon as e
rca ued the ,and. The spray wet a go0l many la me
buoy. but none OF them was worse oh' perhaps iO'
The dr,t news OF the threatened disaster was
the office OF the Merritt HttcklhS I ON
pany No 10 Wall-st, about $50 u. III IL was sent
by the cOnpanys agent. Charles T. ko"riI NJ
latchoguc Ghe representatives, ot th' faDre Line
her, 4 Ter Kuie No. 81 Broadway, the passenger
agent and James ". Elwcll \ Co, the general ana
freight agents were at once int0rncf anu wlthih an
hour ntc-ward the tug BOAT J. }. Merritt provided
wuh cable, aud other wiccknG apparatus was on het
way to the rtndcd steamer. few hours later The
steamer Re ouc having in tow the sea parSe Jolii
IIaggertv. winch is argc cuodSh To accommodate an
the passengers, ar"d also carrying no "1" H"Pt's
oi "a .iug material.
The scotia, like Ill the other vessels OF inc faoro
Lilo il a two masted. brig ri -gcd IRON steamer oi
. 500 tons. She il vdcd into seven waertlght COM
partments ana her Dimensions are as ltlows: Lehrtn
.I2s feet breadth OF beam, 10 feet OepIh, - eei
She built by Morton Co. OF Le'n, 1Io'ianu ,,r,
launched III December lSSl, and arrived at TINS port
IN April 1897. In L'oyd's reg ster she ranks as nrst
class She s provided witn hand steering gear III csc
this steam apparatus gives out and also mas h'r upper
deck projected by an non tutlc-Jach. ii'r ptesch,
mmand ia Captain uHat. one II ne oide'I ana
most ex ercnoed captains IN the employ oi the co1
uauy The company has Ire OF steamers running 10
Brazil and to almost all the Mediterranean poIs' ou
their vessels that come here. besides ire Hcot"' n,o
the Alesia Britannia, Neustra and Bureuual' in1
last vessel into col sion with the iro%n-c'"a %
steamer Italia IN th, bay OF Napcs on February ~,
iust as she was startng for this country Win o"o
a.sengrrs on board She had 10 be beached to pre-
vent sinking, and the Scotia when was then ~
Marselles. was hurried 10 Naples TO tako tue pu'
gundias Messengers. Inc scotia h'' oIly ''ne " no
on u small cargo OF maccaroni and irult ana a com ON
parativeiy small number Ol pdSsc1g 1g"r+' oet"cn wv
and 200 persons. The Burgundias passenger 'lst,
however. large tn 1 with her small arg" snc
became somewhat Iopheavy; at east this was .nc
o. OF the agents aud they thought that thlS was
the cmci cause OF her delay IN getting here ,
She sailed from Naples ON Feb nary Z3 ana PsSscu,
Gibraltar four days later. Since then nothing huu
been heard OF her until yesterday. she was duc heIo
over week ago and her nonarriya caused the great
apprehensons for her safety Most oil her passen
gers either secrage second cabin. are poof t'no'
a contingent il said OF the 300D laU0r'rs 'nat .o
FaDr, Line has contracted to bring to TINS country o
We.ern railroad builders, ana tor iays the ohGeS ~
Mr. Ter
the immigrants, eagerly awaiting some ne" Vi @ .n
vessel TIE news OF he accident caused much eri
crowd to assemble. They listened with ANXIOUS iaces
IA the agent explained the vessels situation TO 'hc
and seemed greatly relieved when told that no loss VI
lie had occurred. Mr. Fer kuilc went down 10 fIe W
Island on the 3 o'clock train and remained ihero al
night
roo, On m, TJTH iJT HlNDS